Why Rotary Youth Leadership Awards? RYLA

Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) is an intensive leadership experience organized by Rotary clubs and districts where you develop your skills as a leader while having fun and making connections.

What are the benefits?

Connect with leaders in your community and around the world to:

Build communication and problem-solving skills

Discover strategies for becoming a dynamic leader in your school or community

Learn from community leaders, inspirational speakers, and peer mentors

Unlock your potential to turn motivation into action

Have fun and form lasting friendships

What’s involved?

RYLA events are organized locally by Rotary clubs and districts for participants ages 14-30. Depending on community needs, RYLA may take the form of a one-day seminar, a three-day retreat, or a weeklong camp. Typically, events last 3-10 days and include presentations, activities, and workshops covering a variety of topics.

Your community might host a RYLA event for secondary school students to hone their leadership potential, for university students to develop creative problem-solving strategies, or for young professionals to learn ethical business practices.

Cornerstone Theatre Arts Presentation

Ken began his work in theatre in 1984. He is a Man of Theatre trained in performance and directing by Cortland State College’s Theatre Department, and The National Shakespeare Conservatory in NYC. Ken completed his B.A in Theatre Studies through SUNY Empire State College. His M.A. in Theatre Studies is through Regent University.

With Cornerstone, Ken has performed in,among others: The Worst Show in the Fringe, Vincent, Cobb, Chinese Coffee, Taming of the Shrew, andDancing at Lughnasa. His directing credits for CTA include: The Fourth Wall, Crimes of the Heart, Paul Robeson, Einstein, The Belle of Amherst, Inventing Van Gogh, The Interrogation of Nathan Hale, The Devil & Daniel Webster, Waiting for MacArthur, The Tempest, Comedy of Errors, As You Like It, Much ado About Nothing, and the NY State Premier of Paullette MacDougal’s Sisters Under the Skin. Ken also created “Shakespeare in Salesian Park” (circa 2006) and “The Teen Drama Summer Workshop” (1997), both of which are held each year.

Ken’s Awards of Merit in Theatre include the Arts in Education Award from The Orange County Arts Council and The Seligmann Award from the Orange County Citizens Foundation.

Goshen Chamber of Commerce

Barbara Martinez was born in Bayamon, Puerto Rico but came at a young age to New York and was raised in the Bronx. Raised by a single mother along with four siblings, Barbara struggled with English as her second language all throughout school. Barbara eventually graduated from Theodore Roosevelt High School with a Regents diploma and made her way into John Jay College. She wanted to study Criminology but life took over and at age 19 she moved up to Orange County. Barbara managed to get a job with Citizens Communications as a collections representative and she continued her college career attending SUNY Orange part time, eventually receiving her Associates Degree with Honors. In 2003, she was offered a job with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office where she worked for 14 years and during that time she attended Marist College part time. She earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Communications & Psychology, with SUMMA CUM LAUDE honors. In 2016, she decided to move on from the Sheriff’s office and was offered a position with the Orange County Chamber of Commerce as the Director of Communications. Barbara handled all communications for the chamber, such as their social media, press releases and was the talk show host of their 3 radio programs, where she focuses on promoting the Chamber’s Business members. She was also the editor of the only Business publication, Business Watch. Barbara was also a co-host of her own radio program called Linea Informativa with Ruben & Barbara, which is the only bi-lingual show in the Hudson Valley. In the recent Nielsen Rating, they ranked 15 th​ in the Hudson Valley for their time slot. Recently Barbara accepted the position of Executive Director for the Goshen Chamber of Commerce. As the Executive Director she already has a SOLD OUT Chamber Networking Breakfast under belt and she has introduced talk radio to the chamber as an added value for the members, LIVE every Friday from 12-1pm on WTBQ Radio titled “Goshen Chamber Connects.” She is looking forward to helping the Goshen Chamber of Commerce grow.

Barbara has been recognized as one of the 2014 Women of Achievement in Orange County. She has been featured in several publications for her work with the NY Sheriff’s Association and the local Sheriff’s Office. She is one of the co-founders for the very successful Hudson Valley Fiesta Latina and was the Chair for the Orange County Chamber’s Latino Business Council. She has been asked to host and speak at many events, most recent, the Food Bank of the Hudson Valley’s Farm to Fork fundraising event and the “Do You Love What You Do?” series. She has a passion for talk radio and promoting. As a hobby, Barbara enjoys promoting small businesses and not for profits. She has a segment called “Where in the Hudson Valley is Barbara Martinez?” using this form of promotion she utilizes Facebook Live to help showcase businesses all over the Hudson Valley. Make sure to follow her on Facebook and Instagram to catch her shows. Barbara is the proud mom of two awesome boys Jonah and Aramis.

Legoland New York

Hayley Coriaty is the Community Relations Coordinator for the $350 million LEGOLAND New York Resort, now under construction in Goshen, New York, and projected to open in spring 2020. Hayley leads the Community Relations team and oversees the Community Welcome Center located in the Village of Goshen. Hayley was the first local hire for LEGOLAND New York, and has been dedicated to the team for two years.
Hayley has over 9 years of experience in the hospitality and hotel industries. Before joining the LEGOLAND New York Resort team, she oversaw sales for Marriott and Hilton hotel properties. She studied Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management with a minor in Business Management.
Hayley has lived in Orange County, New York her whole life. She currently serves on the board of Beautiful People, a not-for-profit that helps provide adaptive sports for children and young adults with disabilities. When not working, she enjoys cooking, reading and traveling.